Breakfast at The Pedlar

The Pedlar is a gastropub and cafe in the suburb of Campbell, just a few minutes drive from the Australian War Memorial. This popular venue has been open for almost a year and is a social hub for the ever-growing Campbell community. When my family decided to eat there for breakfast one Sunday morning, we had no idea it was called The Pedlar, as the only signage outside the venue was the letter "P". Since our visit however, we have found out its name - and that it was previously reviewed by Weekendnotes writer Caitlin, who gave it a glowing recommendation on the opening night - see her article here. On our occasion, a year later, we visited for breakfast and it seems that the positive start of this gastropub, is still going strong. When we arrived, the outside tables were all full of diners enjoying breakfast with their many pooches, big and small. They were all very well-behaved and looking particularly cute, sitting around together with their water bowls, provided.

As the sun was getting warm on a beautiful Autumn morning, we chose to sit inside and were welcomed with friendly staff and a bright and airy, modern interior.

The main counter area, where you place your order, is an impressive bar with rows of spirit bottles under feature lights. There are plenty of tables and high bar tables inside near the bar, as well as around the corner near the open kitchen. We decided to sit near the kitchen, so we could watch the chefs at work. In this area there are high ceilings with pallet planters and greenery positioned up the wall, which brings colour and interest to the aisle of seating. As you look around, there is geometric tiling positioned halfway up the walls, distressed tables and if you walk past the kitchen to the toilets, the bathrooms are modern and funky in there too.

On our visit we were with our young daughter, who was quick to point out that children at other tables had colouring-in pages and crayons. When I placed our order up at the bar, I asked about the colouring in and was provided with a Kids Menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner that could be coloured in with the provided crayons. This was a helpful addition to the breakfast experience, as she then had something to entertain herself with while waiting for her smoothie. The Kids Breakfast Menu ranges between $5 - $7 and includes toast with a range of preserves, granola, ham and cheese toastie and scrambled eggs. (Lunch and dinner also had 5 tasty options for $10).

The main breakfast menu runs until 11:30am and has an extensive range with plenty of options for most tastes. Menu items include Chocolate Chip Waffles, Smoked Trout, Grilled Asparagus, Shakshuka Baked Eggs and Sweetcorn and Haloumi Fritters - see here for the menu. As weren't after a big meal, we chose the Breakfast Roll - fried egg and Pialligo bacon and served in a soft bun with tomato relish ($14) and Crunchy Granola - apricot, almond, quinoa, seeds and rolled oat clusters topped with honey, yoghurt and dried sour cherries ($13).

It was only a short wait before the drinks were delivered from the bar and one of the chefs delivered the meals soon after. The service was particularly friendly and efficient, with plenty of staff to take care of customers and have a chat. Talking about chatting, if you sit near the chefs kitchen, you are guaranteed to hear some interesting stories with your meal!

Our meals were simple and delicious. The Breakfast Roll in particular had a beautifully soft bun and a relish that shone. The bowl of granola didn't appear too big at first, however it was full of dried apricots, nuts and other dried fruit that required a lot of chewing, which meant the meal lasted for longer and also kept me fuller for longer.

This cafe and gastropub is a popular venue for local dog walkers and lovers, with plenty of outside seating, dog bowls and other doggie friends to meet. The Pedlar encourages their pooch patronage with free little doggie bags of treats to enjoy while their owners eat...and aren't the doggies happy about that!